Stardust Revolution
by Judy O'Hara
Summary: Eliza knows something is up with the oddly colored card she found, but what? Follow her adventures through a city-wide tournament.


**Chapter 1**

Derbury City was under siege. A band of rogue Rare Hunters had appeared and taken the city hostage. No one knew where they came from. Or what they were after. Everyone knew them on sight, for they wore deep purple robes with black edges.

Everyone stayed in at night. Most stayed in during the day. The Rare Hunters would take people's hard-earned cards. Anything was taken, as long as it was a Duel Monsters card. All of Derbury City was scared. All except for Elizabeth Marquette.

* * *

"I'll be back!" She called from the entryway.

"Where are you going?" Her mother replied.

Eliza shrugged, "Down to the Card Shop. I want to see if they got any new singles."

She waved to her mother and left their house. The setting sun cast interesting shadows over the water of the pond. Fish moved in and out of sight as Eliza passed. Her trip to the Card Shop didn't take long, within five minutes she was walking though the door.

"Eliza! Just the Duelist I wanted to see. A special card came in today." Jason sing-songed at her from the other side of the counter. "Mr Pegasus went and released a new monster type. Wait til you see this one."

She went up and leaned over the counter. He was always bringing her the newest cards to look at and maybe even buy. It made her day when she got a new card before someone else did. The last time he'd done that was when she got a Super Rare _Dragon Lord Kuyashi _before it was released to the general public. It was a nice card in and of itself. On top of that was its ability.

"So, what are we showing me?" Eliza leaned over, excited to see what it was he would have on him today. "It better not be a crap card like that day you showed me _Waboku_. That was not cool, Jason, not cool at all."

"Okay...so this card may not be super powerful or anything. In fact, as far as dueling goes it's pretty lame. BUT! I have here in my hands..." He held a card up in front of her with the back facing her. "The very first...Ice-type!"

"Ice what?" She snatched the card from the dealer's hand and turned it around. Sure enough down in the little brackets was the word _Ice _in thick print. "_Icewing Lizard_? What kind of card is that? Did Pegasus run out of ideas over at Illusions, Inc?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Jason took the card back from her and set it in the case where it had been. He got out several binders and boxes. "Now...if you want anything, I'll give it to you at a fair price. That _Icewing Lizard _is $6.95."

Eliza flipped through the binders, picking out cards she wanted and setting them off to the side. Her collection was already thousands strong, but they kept releasing more cards and she had vowed to get them all. It had been dream of hers since she was a child.

"So, how much for these plus that funky lizard? I like him. Even though he's not much to look at." She held up a stack of about fifty cards. Jason took it and just looked at it for a second, determining the best price for them.

"$20 should be good."

"Okay. Thanks Jason." Eliza handed over a twenty dollar bill and took the stack of cards back from him. "I'll see you tomorrow at the opening of the tournament?"

"Yeah. I'll be there. Can't believe they are holding it even with all the Rare Hunters roaming through the city. I guess the big wigs aren't really concerned with the lives of the common man."

"I guess not. Well, see you tomorrow..." She waved to him as she exited the shop, pausing to put the cards she'd bought into the box she brought for them. As she did so, something on the sidewalk caught her attention. It was sitting just inside the entrance of an alley. "What's this? _Nun the Shadow Dragon_? It's not a color I've seen before...and the text is weird. I'll hang on to it for now. Maybe someone will know something about it at the tournament..."

* * *

The two young men hung their heads in shame. They'd had the object of their boss's desire in their hands and they'd lost it. The two knew they would be punished severely for their failure.

"What do you mean you LOST it? How do you lose a piece of paper with a picture on it?! Get back out there and do not stop until you find it! I will be placing you two buffoons into the tournament. Do not wear your uniform. Dress...casually. Your objective this time is to make friends with some duelists and see if anyone has found my card. Now get out."

"Yes, sir." They said in unison.

"Well go!"

They bowed and scrambled out of the hall, glad to be getting away from their boss.


End file.
